Saturday, October 3, 2009

Welcome to the Woods


The map has dots all along Highway 83 indicating a scenic route, and this road deserves every last dot. To the right, the Rocky Mountain range rises, big slabs of granite dusted with snow. To the left, farther in the distance is the Mission range, forested but still rugged. Along the road are broad flat meadows dotted with cattle and horses and we saw a few mountain sheep and deer too. The real grabbers though are the stunning series of lakes peeking between the evergreens and then suddenly spreading out before you in broad, sparkling wilderness vistas. There’s something vaguely different about these woods than the Colorado Rockies. A deeper green, a bluer blue.

For me the biggest surprise was Swan Lake. Because of the ballet, I associate the name with a trim, contained pond on some aristocrat’s estate. This Swan Lake is gigantic with wooded slopes towering above it. It's a cliche to say the water is so clear, but the water is so clear and you can see these huge boulders sunk deep in the lake bed. Logically, I know this is due to glaciation, but it reminds me of some fairy tale castle imprisoned by a witch's spell. We stopped at Swan Lake Cafe for coffee and a slice of peach/huckleberry pie ($5, what a deal). The chef was from Paris by way of Tahiti but the owner (who served us) was Montana born and bred. People like to talk here, not like us cagey city folks.

We started to see rainclouds in the distance and by the time we reached the outskirts of Bigfork, drops were beginning to fall. After a little cell phone blackout or two, I got through to the Glacier Raft Company and the manager assured me he leave a light on for us. The cabin is just as cute as a bug with lots of rustic trimmings like deer antlers over the porch and a gas-fed cast iron stove by the dining table. So far, so good. Now let's hope the clouds roll away. Oh here's a view from the bedroom window (sorry about the flash).

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